Nvidia Brings High-End Gaming to Tablets with Nvidia Shield

Ever since people started making and purchasing games for mobile devices, the gaming world has been split between casual and hardcore gamers. GPU maker Nvidia is looking to close that gap by offering the Nvidia Shield, a high-performance tablet made for gaming.

Gamers who want to get the most out of their Android games will want to check out the Shield’s 8-inch screen, which features a 1920x1200 multi-touch Full HD display. Built for gaming, the Shield packs a powerful NVIDIA TegraK1 192 core Kepler GPU in its 13.7 oz. frame, and includes a high-quality wireless controller that looks a lot like an Xbox One pad with the PlayStation’s analog stick layout. A 3-axis gyro, 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis compass round out the control options, while a built-in flexible stand allows players to orient the tablet in several hands-free orientations. Two front-facing speakers and a dual bass reflex port promise an incredible audio experience. Gamers will also get a pre-loaded software suite that includes NVIDIA GameStream^, NVIDIA ShadowPlay, GRID Cloud Gaming Beta and Trine 2: Complete Story, as well as non-gaming software, like NVIDIA Dabbler, JusWrite, and Evernote.

Nvidia is offering two options for the Shield; a 16GB version with Wi-Fi will cost $299, while a 32GB version that offers a 4G LTE connection through AT&T or T-Mobile will be priced at $399. Either version can be used to stream games from a computer to the Shield, or to play in console mode, which allows up to four people to play together on a TV.